Health
FOCUS AREA 1
The $300 Billion Women's Health
Opportunity
Africa faces distinct challenges in healthcare, including cultural nuances, resource constraints, and diverse systems. High potential innovations designed for its distinct markets therefore yield the best outcomes.
Women spend 25% more of their lives in ill health
Women may live longer than men, on average, but they spend 25% more of their lives in debilitating health. This has profound implications, especially in Africa, where gender roles often place women at the center of family and community well-being.
Women's health has unique biological, social, and cultural dimensions
The medical needs of women are under-researched and underfunded. Women also disproportionately bear the mental and emotional labor of caregiving, family health management, creating a pressing need for solutions that cover all these areas.
Closing the gap could boost global economy by $1 trillion by 2024
Closing the gap could boost the global economy by an estimated $1 trillion by 2040 from fewer early deaths and health conditions, and a greater capacity for women to contribute to the economy and society.
Health and social care solutions by and for Africans roots them in local contexts
Solutions developed by Africans and diaspora are rooted in understandings of local contexts and values. By integrating global best practices with local insights, scalable, sustainable solutions that resonate with communities can drive impactful change, ensuring care that is not only effective but also culturally aligned and accessible.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Investment
Potential
Africa’s healthcare sector has long been underfunded, creating a gap between available services and the continent’s needs. This disparity presents an opportunity, especially with mobile technology offering low-cost, scalable healthcare solutions. Innovators can leverage Africa’s growing fintech and mobile network infrastructure to introduce and expand women's health services, particularly in underserved regions.
Enormous
potential
market
